The Pain of Rifts
by WordsinRain
Summary: Solavellan Migraine sickfic. A little bit of angst if you squint. Lavellan gets a migraine from closing too many rifts and Solas is there to take care of her.


There were a lot of rifts in the exalted planes. Not that there weren't a lot of rifts everywhere, but Telena had never managed to close three in one day before. Her body ached from all the fighting and she had more wounds than she wished to count.

The pain as she closed her last rift had shot up her arm with a ferocity she hadn't yet encountered. It pushed its way past her shoulder and through her neck. She stopped moving for a moment and just focused on trying to stay upright as the pain pushed into her head.

Telena forced a smile onto her face as she heard the Iron Bull laughing in the background. They needed to keep moving, here was not a reasonable place to camp, yet her feet were finding it difficult to keep going.

'Quizzy?' Dorian called to her.

'Hm?' She responded. She looked at him, but the image of him was wavering, swimming in and out of focus.

'You look a bit green,' Dorian said. Telena pondered whether he meant that as a joke, or if he was being serious.

'Well er, the anchor is green,' she said rather pathetically. Her stomach was swirling uncomfortably, nausea pushing its way up her gullet. She turned her head away from him and her neck clicked in protest. Her body didn't feel natural anymore.

Telena kept moving her feet forward, the rest of them moving in the direction they'd agree to take, but every step felt like it was shaking her brain, slamming it against her skull. There was a tingling sensation in her lips that started spreading to the rest of her face, like her legs when she had sat crossed legged on the ground too long.

The others were talking amongst themselves, but every sound felt like a demon clawing against metal. The Iron Bull was too loud, Dorian was too nasally and Cassandra was too brassy.

They must've walked another mile before she fell to all fours and threw up the contents of her stomach.

'Telena?' Solas was beside her, his hand on her shoulder. She couldn't respond; she vomited again into the weeds, bile burning the back of her throat. The pain in her arm was now pulsating into her head, pushing up from the base of her skull. The world rocked around her, coloured lines darting around her vision.

Brushing her hand against her mouth she then took a swig from her canteen, and spat that into the ground. She used Solas to help her stand up, but her vision went black and she all but sagged against him. Her vision returned tilting in opposite directions. She felt her stomach lurch against the movement, and her skull pounded hard.

Telena attempted to move her mouth, and tell them she needed to stop, but even that seemed beyond her. Instead she tried to take a step and fell again to her knees.

'Boss?' the Iron Bull asked.

'Telena, now would be a good time to tell us you raid the Qunari's maraas-lok supplies last night,' Dorain added. Telena wished she could, a hangover had never been this bad before. Even after that night with Dorian's father, or that one party with Sera, or the aftermath of killing that giant with Bull. No, a hangover had never been this bad.

'S-s-solas,' she said eventually. 'What is happening to me?'

Her stomach rolled again and she fell onto her side. The light was burning into her eyes, she closed them and placed her arm over her eyes, even the light against her eyelids was too much.

If someone was killing her they had a very sadistic way of doing it. Telena gave up at that moment and decided this was as good a place as any to die.

'Tell me what you're feeling?' Solas whispered. She felt his hand on her shoulder, the magic on the tips of his fingers.

'My head,' she bit out. That was all she could manage, even saying that had caused her head to pound. Solas seemed to be toughing the arm with the anchor in it.

'You've overloaded yourself,' he said. Solas fingers touched her forehead and at first she was going to yell at him, but his fingers were cool against her head and she murmured in response. She felt the tingling sensation of him pushing his magic into her, he was trying to soothe her.

It eased slightly, but the majority of the pain was still there.

Solas scooped her up into his arms, and her stomach twisted at the moment and her skull felt like it had been hit by Bull's axe. She swore at Solas in response.

'I know Vhenan, but I need to get you somewhere safe so you can rest.'

There was still magic flowing into her, even as he carried her. He might not have been as strong as Bull, but he certainly had no issues moving with her in his arms. She pressed her head into his chest and smelt the elven herbs and tang of magic that always surrounded him.

When he eventually laid her down again, she swore more. The pounding in her head had intensified and she refused to open her eyes to any light. The others had started talking, but she swore at them loudly enough for them to shut up. Solas directed them away.

'Leave us,' he said. 'She will be like this for a while.'

Telena nearly swore at him too for that comment, what did he mean a while? She couldn't be like this for a while, she would die, she was dying. No one else could feel this bad and live, it wasn't right.

Solas' hand was on her head again, his cooling hand covering the breadth of her forehand. That in itself was a nicer sensation than anything that had gone before it. He started murmuring something elven under his breath.

'I can't cure this Vhenan,' he said softly. 'It's beyond me.'

Telana swore again under her breath.

'I can send you to sleep though,' he said. 'If you want me to.' His cooling finger stroked her cheek. Her stomach knotted.

'Do it,' she said. In any other circumstance she would've disagreed, she needed to be awake and have her wits about her, what if they were attacked? But she wasn't defending anyone like this, let alone herself.

He whispered something, it sounded elven, but she couldn't understand it. She strained herself to listen to it, but her head rebelled against the effort, and something seemed to pushing her away anyway. There were shadows grasping around her shoulders and dragging her away from reality. Her eyes were already closed, but the light against her eyelids darkened and she lost her grip on consciousness.

* * *

When Telena came back awake her head was still pounding though with less ferocity than it had been. She was nauseated, but again it had eased a lot. There was only a little sunlight making its way in through the tent flap, and while it was painful it didn't feel like someone was stabbing her with a dagger through her eyes anymore.

Turning her head she noticed Solas next to her. He was sitting cross-legged; his head resting on his hands. His eyes were closed, but Telena knew he was awake. He looked paler than usual and under his eyes were circles the colour of royal elfroot.

Telena pushed herself up to sitting, her arms shook with the effort.

'You're awake,' Solas said lifting his head from his hands.

'You watched over me,' Telena stated.

'It seems to be becoming a habit,' Solas replied the corner of his lip slightly turning up. Telena returned his smile. She reached out and grabbed his hand. His skin tingled against her palm, healing magic pushing into her.

'I'm okay,' she said.

'You're still hurting,' he answered. 'We were foolish to assume there would be no immediate consequences to the anchor.'

'There is always consequences to this much power,' Telena replied. 'And I'm sure this will not be the last.'

Solas raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

'You're tired,' she said.

'I'm okay,' he copied her answer. She yanked his hand, the effort causing her to feel pins and needles up her arm. She got the desired effect though as Solas sprawled forwards his head nearly hitting off the floor.

'See,' Telena laughed. Solas pushed himself back up frowning, knowing he would've been able to resist her pull if he hadn't been half asleep.

Telena laid back down on her bedroll and lifted her blankets.

'Come, join me,' she said.

Solas pursed his lips, he was about to say something, but she cut him off.

'I don't need to be watched,' she said. 'I could, however, do with being held by an elven apostate with unfathomable knowledge of ancient elves and the fade.'

Solas lips turned up in a smirk and he started moving toward her, 'That's a very specific request. I'm not sure I could find someone that unique.'

'Oh, I'm sure you know someone who fits the requirement,' she said as he lay on the roll beside her. She pulled the blankets over both of them and wrapped her arms around his waist. She dragged him closer and breathed in the delectable scent of him, even as her stomach rolled at the movements.

He moved a strand of hair out of her face.

'Thank you,' she said. 'For taking care of me.'

Solas was stroking her hair and he kissed her forehead with a feather-light pressure.

'I'm sorry Vhenan,' Solas whispered against her hair.

She pulled her head back to look him in the eye, 'For what?'

Solas' eyes widened and he moved back slightly, as if he hadn't expected her to respond. Moments passed with them looking at each other in silence.

'I…' Solas started and then cleared his throat. 'I just hate seeing you in pain.'

Telena leaned forward and kissed him, feeling the hum of magic on her lips. It marvelled her that he was so powerful he didn't notice his entire body tasted of magic.

She withdrew and rested her head in the crook of his neck and he leant his own against hers. He was still stroking her hair.

'Ar lath ma,' he breathed. She murmured in response and felt herself drift off. She dreamt of a wolf with red eyes guarding her while she slept.

* * *

 **THE END**

Author's notes:

I've been suffering from migraines a lot recently and I found this quite cathartic to write about it. Though if someone fussed over me like that while I had a migraine I would most likely swear at them to leave me alone, but creative license and all that.


End file.
